- Yumna Jawad is the founder of the Feel Good Foodie brand.
- She has 2 million followers on TikTok and says its ban will impact her business.
- She’s built her website and other platforms to help diversify her income.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Yumna Jawad, founder of the Feel Good Foodie. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When I think about the upcoming ban on TikTok, which could take effect as soon as Sunday if the Supreme Court doesn’t intervene, I feel sad. There’s a social and cultural aspect of TikTok that I’m going to miss if the app goes away. It’s always felt more diverse and interesting to me than other social media.
TikTok disappearing could also be a big deal for my company, Feel Good Foodie. I have over 2 million followers on TikTok and make money from sponsored posts and content creation. The ban will impact my income, but not as much as some other influencers. Luckily, I learned early on in my content creation career that having diverse income streams is critical.
Losing access to my Instagram was an important lesson
I started Feel Good Foodie in 2013 to teach myself how to cook. My Instagram following grew quickly, and I had a lot of fun learning in this public setting. About 18 months in, I had about 300,000 followers, and I was starting to get free products and occasionally be paid by brands.
One day in 2014, I woke up, and my account was deactivated. It happened to other food accounts too, and we never figured out why. But it was really scary. I realized I was building this passion and avenue to make money, and it could all just go away.
Luckily, I got my account back in about 24 hours. But I had learned an important lesson about diversification.
I quit my day job when my influencer earnings took off
At the time, I was making about $80,000 a year as a marketing consultant. About two years into Feel Good Foodie, my revenue from social media surpassed my marketing income. When I hit a six-figure income from Instagram, I quit my marketing work.
In 2016, Instagram changed its algorithm, and I realized fewer people were seeing my posts. That’s when I started a website. I wanted to know that my audience could find my content, even if the algorithm didn’t show it to them. Creating the website helped me maintain control.
Today Feel Good Foodie is a very substantial business (I’m always hesitant to be more specific about my income — that’s part of the culture in my Lebanese family). I have 12 contractors working for me who help produce content, and I’m making more than I ever would be in marketing.
I have about seven different income streams, which keeps the business stable. About 60% of my revenue comes from my website, where I make money from ad revenue. Another 30% comes from sponsored content, most often on Instagram and TikTok. I also make money from my cookbook, and Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest accounts.
My rates for sponsored content could dip by 25%
Although I’ve diversified, a TikTok ban will still create a blip in my income. Most of my sponsored content is sold as a package, where I post the same video on Instagram and TikTok. I charge with both platforms in mind.
If TikTok is banned, I won’t be able to charge the same amount. I would expect to see a 20-25% reduction in what I make from sponsored content.
Luckily, I have really solid audiences elsewhere. My website averages about 7 million page views a month, which makes it very appealing to advertisers, and I have more than 4 million followers on Instagram. I’ll be OK, but other content creators who are more reliant on TikTok may not be.
I’m lucky my skills are transferable to other platforms
Social media platforms come and go, but it’s not easy for advertisers to make the switch. It takes a long time for brands to feel comfortable with a new platform. I was on TikTok for about three years before I was paid to post there. It will take advertisers time to accept any new platform users migrate to.
Luckily, I’ve built skills that are transferable to other platforms. I’m disappointed about the TikTok ban, but optimistic about the health of my company.
